Starter for water skiers



1961 E. w. HAUGLAND 2,970,636

STARTER FOR WATER SKIERS Filed Jan. 26, 1959 FIG. 3 /6 INVENTOR.

EARL W. HAUGLAND Jim/am A TTORWEI STARTER FOR WATER SKIERS Earl W. Haugland, Hampden, N. Dak. Filed Jan. 26, 1959, Ser. No. 789,152

Claims. 01. 155-2 This invention relates generally to water skiing and pertains more particularly to equipment for enabling a water skier to get started easily.

Heretofore, various difficulties have been experienced by water skiers in getting underway for each ride. For the novice this has been one of the hardest steps in learning to ski. Even the more proficient skier finds starting troublesome for different reasons. For instance, he may not wish to get wet, as he must do for deep water starts. Also, deep water starts require more towing power, and where more than one skier is to be pulled, the problem is compounded.

For the above and other reasons, dock starts have been resorted to. But uncongested docks are not always available. Furthermore, many docks have splinters, contain nails, and are generally too rough for easy starts. Frequently, too, the dock is not at the right height.

Accordingly, one object of the invention is to provide apparatus that will permit the water skier to get started with a minimum of effort and skill on his part. Also, the invention has for an aim a reduction in the amount of power necessary to get a skier water-borne, whereby a smaller boat motor may be employed.

Another object is to provide a lightweight portable device that may be collapsed for stowage and carrying purposes, yet which can be quickly erected for placement in shallow water of the optimum depth so that the skier need not get wet.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for use by water skiers in getting themselves started that 'may be inexpensively fabricated, thereby encouraging its adoption and use wherever water skiing activity takes place.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure '1 is a side elevational view of my ski starter, the solid line position representing the initial position of the device prior to any pull being exerted on the skier via the tow rope, and the forward dotted position representing the position of the equipment when the skier leaves the seat; Figure, 2 is a front elevational view of the device, and

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken in the direction of line 3 3 of Figure 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the device has a base denoted generally by the reference numeral 1%) which is comprised of first and second U-shaped members 12 and 14. The first U-shapedmember 12 has its open end pivotally connected by a pair of pins 16 to the second U-shaped member 14 at a locus spaced somewhat from the open end of said member 14. As can be seen from Figure 3, the U-shaped "member 12 fits within the f'member l t-and 'b yreasono'fthe pins 1 6 the base 10 may 2,970,636 iatented Feb. 7, 1961 be folded upon itself so that the member 12 then nests within the member 14. More will be said later concern; ing this folding action when the overall collapsibility of the device is explained.

A cross bar 18 overlies neighboring portions of the U-shaped member 12, having its ends fixedly anchored to the open end of the U-shaped member 14 by means of pins or rivets 20. Preferably a washer or spacer 22 encircles each pin 20 so as to maintain the bar 18 slightly spaced from the member 14.

The cross bar 18 serves as a bearing support for what will be termed an inverted T unit 22. This unit 22 has a horizontal tubular portion 24 freely encircling the bar or rod 18. To impart rigidity to the unit 22 the shank or body of the unit is formed of two tubular members 26 having their lower ends welded to the tubular portion 24 and their upper ends curving outwardly into a laterally spaced relationship. A pair of straps 28 embrace the upper ends of the members 26 in order to pivotally connect a seat 39 to the unit 22, the straps 28 being attached to the seat by a plurality of screws 32.

With only the foregoing construction the seat 30 would be able to rock about its longitudinal axis. Therefore, to steady the seat 36 and to effect a controlled rocking thereof as the unit 22 swings forward, an elongated brace or link 34 is employed. By means of a clevis element 36 afiixed to the underside of the seat 39 near its rear edge and a pin 38 passing through the clevis and the upper end of the link 34, the link or brace is pivotally connected to the seat 30.

The lower end of the link 34 is pivotally connected to a collar 40 via a pin 44. The collar 4-6 is fixedly secured to an extension rod 45 that is itself pivotally. connected at its upper end by a pin 46to a collar 48 fixedly secured to the T-shaped unit 22. i

As can readily be seen from Figure 1, the extension rod 45 is telescopically received in an upwardly inclining tubular member 5%. The degree of reception is governed by a series of apertures at various locations 52 and by a cooperable pin 54 insertable into the particular aperture 52 that best positions the seat 30 for the initial or rest position of the skier. In order to allow the angular relationship of the extension rod 44 and the unit 22 to change as the seat 36 moves forwardly, the member 50 is rendered pivotal. Thus, it, too, is what might be termed T-shaped, inasmuch as it is provided with an integrally attached (as by welding) horizontal tubular portion 56. The tubular portion 56 loosely encircles the closed end of the second U-shaped member 14, and in this way it will continually assume the proper angle during opera tion of the device. A pair of pins 58 extend through the closed end of the U-shaped member 14, and act in a constraining manner to prevent any lateral shifting of the pipe portion 56 and hence the member 59 inclining upwardly therefrom.

Whereas the selected elevation of the pin 54 determines the extent that the rod 45 can be received into the tubular member 50, and thus where the seat 30 will be initially positioned, provision is also made for determining the amount of arcuate travel that the seat 3% can make in a forward direction, which of course determines the position of the seat 36*, at the moment thatthe skier leaves the device. To accomplish this latter aim, a flexible cable or chain 61) hasone of its ends anchor-ed to a lug 62 on the tubular member 50 and its other end via a hook fastener 64 to the collar 46 on the extension ,rod 45. In this way, the length of the chain governs the amount of seat travel in a forward direction, the extreme forward position so permitted being represented in Figure l by the dotted position of the device, although for the-sake of drawing legibility the chain itself has not been ShOWil in dotted outline.

3 In order to return the device to its rest or solid line position, a length of coil spring 66 is utilized. One end of the spring 66 may be suitably attached to one of the pins 58 and the other end to the detachable hook fastener 64. Consequently, once the tow rope has pulled the skier from the device, the spring 66 acts immediately to retract the device so that it is always in readiness for re-use.

Having in mind the foregoing construction and arrangement of parts, the operation of my ski starter should be readily apparent. Assuming for the moment that the device has been unfolded and erected as illustrated in solid lines in Figure l, the device would normally be placed in about two feet of water. The skier then positions himself on the seat 30. Depending upon the power of the tow boat, he may wish to have some of the tow rope coiled for release as the boat starts. This is what is usually done with a dock start. However, it is not mandatory that the rope be coiled, especially since my device permits the skier to move forwardly with but little initial drag before leaving the starting apparatus. With the larger motors, the boat has gained an appreciable amount of momentum during this interval.

At any rate, by the time the seat 30 has reached its dotted position in Figure 1, the skier is moving along at a speed sufiicient to keep himself surfaced. This has been done with little or no effort on the skiers part and he merely leaves the seat when the forward travel of the seat has been arrested due to the chain 60 becoming taut.

' Particular attention is to be paid to the change in atti tude of the seat 30. In its initial or rest position, the seat slopes to the rear, but in its foremost position the seat has been tilted into a substantially horizontal position. In this way the skier can slide easily oif the seat at the proper moment.

Inasmuch as one feature of the invention is to allow the device to be collapsed when not in use, thereby facilitating its transportation and stowage, the manner in which the collapsing is achieved will now be described. First, the fastener 64 is unsnapped from the collar 40, thereby permitting the extension rod 45 to be pulled completely out of the tubular member 50. In other words, release of the chain 60 allows the unit 22 to be swung beyond its dotted line position depicted in Figure 1 with the consequence that the rod 45 can be entirely withdrawn from its telescopically received relation with the member 50. The member 50 can then be pivoted downwardly into a horizontal position, and the unit 22 can similarly be brought into a horizontal position atop the member 50. Next, the first U-shaped member 12 can be folded downwardly and then upwardly into a position displaced 180 from that shown in Figure 1 so that it is in a nested relationship with the second U-shaped member 14. Thus, it is believed manifest that my equipment will occupy but little space when in a knocked down condition, .yet can be quickly erected for immediate use when -:needed. As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing "from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all'statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

, What is claimed is:

. 1. A starting device for water skiers comprising a base, "an elongated unit havingits lower end pivotally connected ;to a forward portion of, the base, a seat on the upper end of the'unit, and telescoping means having its lower end pivotally connected to a rearward portion of the base and 4 its upper end pivotally connected to said elongated unit nearer the upper end thereof.

2. A starting device in accordance with claim 1 including means for limiting the angle through which said unit can pivot.

3. A starting device for water skiers comprising a base, an elongated unit having its lower end pivotally connected to a forward portion of the base, a seat pivotally supported near its center on the upper end of the unit, a pair of telescoping members, the lower end of one of said members being pivotally connected to a rearward portion of the base and the upper end of the other member being pivotally connected to said unit near said seat, and a link element having one end pivotally connected to said seat adjacent its rear edge and having its other end pivotally connected to said other member.

4. A starting device for water skiers comprising a first U-shaped member, a second U-shaped member pivotally connected at its open end to said first U-shaped member at a locus spaced somewhat from the open end of said second member so as to be foldable from a projecting position to a nesting position, a cross bar connected to the open end of said second U-shaped member so as to overlie neighboring portions of said first U-shaped memher, an inverted T-shaped unit having a horizontal tubular portion freely encircling said cross bar so as to be pivotal with respect to said U-shaped member, a seat pivotally carried at the upper end of said T-shaped unit, a second inverted T-shaped unit having a first tubular'portion freely encircling the closed end of said second U-shaped member and also having a second tubular portion, an elongated member telescopically received in said second tubular portion of the second T-shaped unit and having its projecting end pivotally connected T-shaped unit at a locus spaced somewhat from said seat, and a brace member pivotally connected at one end to said seat and at its other end to the projecting portion of said telescopically received member.

5. A starting device'for water skiers in accordance with claim 4 including first means for limiting the extent that said telescoping member is receivable into said second tubular portion and second means for limitingthe extent that said telescoping member may project, thereby determining the distance through which said seat may move.

6. A starting device for Water skiers in accordance with claim 5 in which said first means includes a pin insertable'through said second tubular portion of said second T-shaped unit so as to engage the received end of said elongated member, and in which said second means includes a chain having its ends attached to. the second tubular portion of said second T-shaped unit and to said elongated member.

7. A starting device for water skiers comprising a base, a pivotal unit extending upwardly from said base, a seat pivotally connected to the upper end of said unit, and link means for automatically changing the attitude of said seat from a rearwardly sloping one to a substantially horizontal one as the seat moves forwardly to start the skier.

zontal base, a unit extending upwardly from the base and pivotally connected thereto, means limiting pivotal movement of said unit from a rearwardly inclined position forming one angle with said base which angle places said unit on one side of a vertical position to a forwardly inclined position forming a second angle with said base which second angle places said unit on the other side of said vertical position, and a seat carried at the upper end of said pivotal .unit for supporting the skier and permitting said skier to advance through an are as said pivotal unit travels from its rearwardly inclined position through said vertical position. to its forwardly inclined one.

9. A starting device for wate'rskiers in accordance with claim 8 in which said base is of tubular construction forming generally a rectangle-havingitsside edges spaced to said first 8. A starting device for water skiers comprising a hori-- substantially laterally to each side of the pivotal connection of said unit with said base and its other two edges spaced substantially forwardly and rearwardly of said pivotal connection.

10. A starting device for Water skiers in accordance 5 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

